NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) — One New Britain hearth official has been fired and 7 different firefighters have been disciplined following an investigation into drug use at firehouses across the Connecticut metropolis, the mayor stated.
The investigation started after the obvious drug-related demise of a 36-year-old off-duty firefighter in his residence in January. The outcomes of toxicology exams are pending, however proof obtained through the legal investigation led to an administrative evaluation, Mayor Erin Stewart stated Tuesday.
A lieutenant within the division was fired in February after that investigation confirmed he was “knowingly supplying, giving, promoting, sharing and utilizing unlawful medicine and (his) prescription Adderall capsules, and had lied about it,” based on a termination letter from Stewart that was first obtained by The Hartford Courant.
The opposite seven, together with 4 with the rank of lieutenant or above, have been required to take 30 days of unpaid depart, demoted to the rank of personal and positioned on probation for 3 years, throughout which period they can not search promotion and might be topic to random drug testing, the mayor stated.
“I do not suppose that ‘drug ring’ is the suitable time period to make use of,” Stewart advised The Related Press. “I feel that these guys had been all pals, in work and outdoors of labor. A few of them labored in the identical corporations, however on the finish this spanned each firm that we’ve got.”
Stewart stated officers don’t have any proof that any member of the general public was ever put in peril or any of the firefighters had been ever impaired whereas on a name, although she acknowledged that may be a chance. She stated the drug use dated again a number of years and concerned prescription Adderall in addition to fentanyl, heroin and marijuana.
The legal investigation is ongoing to find out the place the unlawful medicine originated, however no expenses have been filed towards any firefighter and none are anticipated, Stewart stated.
She stated the investigation confirmed it was not a case of somebody within the division serving as a vendor and promoting the unlawful medicine to the others.
“Had been there cases of that? Sure, there was proof of that right here and there,” she stated. “There was clearly somebody they had been all getting these medicine from, however I could not let you know who that was. It wasn’t somebody affiliated with the division.”
The mayor stated she initially wished to fireside all of these concerned, however determined to permit those that got here ahead and detailed the extent of the issue to maintain their jobs.
“I am assured that the investigations that the chief and assistant chief performed acquired to the underside of the issue and that we have put procedures in place to repair it and guarantee that is does not occur once more,” she stated.
A number of different firefighters have resigned because the demise in January.
Stewart is asking on the firefighter’s union to work with town and develop a drug-testing coverage.